Town and country life ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 32

Town and country life

A	City life Read this advertisement for new houses in the city and note the collocations. Secure your new home now in the exciting city of Lorchester In the bustling1 centre you can enjoy high-quality urban living, with reliable public transport and shops and restaurants whose long opening hours will suit your busy lifestyle. Phone us now on 00345 877223 to visit our extensive range of show houses and apartments, or take a virtual tour at www.incitilife.com. 1 full of busy activity
B	Country life versus city life Jerome has just moved from his home village into a big town. He emails Rosie about it. ••• Reply Forward Hi Rosie, Well, I did it. I moved into town. I must say I don’t miss the rustic charm1 of life in the back of beyond2! For some people my old village is a rural idyll, but for me it was always just a quiet backwater3 in the middle of nowhere where nothing ever happened and where I was bored rigid4. I’ve only been in town a week, but I love everything about it – the crowded streets, the hectic pace5 of life, the fact that you can get a cappuccino or hail a taxi at two in the morning. So when are you coming to visit? Jerome 1 appeal that is simple and picturesque 2 an extremely isolated place 3 a quiet, isolated village 4 (informal) extremely bored 5 very busy and fast pace
C	City Council plans ••• <  > GOOD NEWS FOR INNER CITY LIFE City councillors last night approved extensive plans for urban regeneration. Key features of the plan include the restoration of derelict buildings1 and a tree-planting scheme. The hope is that the inner city will soon resemble the leafy suburbs as an attractive and desirable place to live. Planners believe that an increase in the number of residential dwellings2 in the town centre will ease the problem of congested roads and night-time crime: with commercial and recreational facilities within walking distance and open all hours, it is hoped that many people will choose to leave their cars at home, and that it will be safer to walk on the street at night. 1 buildings that are not cared for and are in a very bad condition 2 (formal, official) homes

EXERCISES

32.1	Complete each sentence with the city and the country in the correct space. 1 There is a less hectic pace of life in ________________ than in ________________. 2 It’s much easier to hail a taxi in ________________ than in ________________. 3 You are less likely to find reliable public transport ________________ than in ________________. 4 You are more likely to find rustic charm ________________ than in ________________. 5 You are more likely to find congested roads ________________ than in ________________.
32.2	Explain the difference in meaning between the sentences in each pair. 1 The roads are very congested. The streets are very crowded. 2 We live in the inner city. They live in the leafy suburbs. 3 He lives in a quiet backwater. She lives in a bustling city centre. 4 I enjoy urban living. I love my rural idyll.
32.3	Put the collocations in the box into pairs that are similar in meaning. city life long opening hours rustic charm in the back of beyond open all hours urban living in he middle of nowhere rural idyll ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________
32.4	Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence using a collocation from the opposite page. 1 The village is regarded as a quiet place where nothing happens, but the people who live there love it. 2 She lives in a simple cottage miles away from any other inhabited places. 3 The government plans to provide funds to subsidise the modernisation and improvement of our cities. 4 The city announced a plan to plant more trees. 5 The south side of the city is an area where many people would like to have a home. 6 The city council has declared that part of the town may only be used for people’s homes.
32.5	Find collocations on the opposite page with the opposite meaning to these phrases. 1 smart, modern buildings _________________________ 2 quiet roads (2 answers) _________________________ _________________________ 3 a quiet city centre _________________________ 4 urban decay _________________________ 5 the urban nightmare _________________________ 6 restricted opening times  (2 answers) _________________________ _________________________
32.6	Use a dictionary to find three collocations for these words. 1 countryside 2 landscape 3 village(s)
32.7	Answer these questions. 1 Do any types of TV programmes or films bore you rigid? If so, what types? 2 Would you consider living in a remote country village in your country to be living in a rural idyll? 3 Do you have a reliable public transport system in the place where you live? 4 Are there any derelict buildings where you live? 5 What sort of facilities are there within walking distance of the house or flat where you live?

ANSWER KEY

32.1 1 the country; the city 2 the city; the country 3 the country; the city 4 the country; the city 5 the city; the country 32.2 1 The first sentence refers to cars and other traffic on the roads, whereas the second sentence refers to shoppers and other pedestrians on the pavements. 2 The first sentence means that the speaker lives in the centre of town, whereas the second sentence is talking about other people who live in quiet, residential and well-off suburbs. 3 The first sentence means that he lives in a very quiet, traditional place where nothing much happens, whereas the second sentence means that she lives in a very busy, active city centre. 4 The first sentence means the speaker loves living in the city, whereas in the second one, the speaker loves living in the country. 32.3 city life, urban living long opening hours, open all hours rustic charm, rural idyll in the back of beyond, in the middle of nowhere 32.4 1 quiet backwater 2 in the back of beyond / in the middle of nowhere 3 urban regeneration 4 a tree-planting scheme 5 a desirable place to live 6 residential dwellings 32.5 1 derelict buildings 2 busy roads / congested roads 3 a bustling city centre 4 urban regeneration 5 the rural idyll 6 long opening hours / open all hours 32.6 Possible answers: 1 flock to the countryside / unspoilt countryside / rolling countryside / surrounding countryside / protect the countryside 2 a rural landscape / a barren landscape / dominate the landscape / a watercolour landscape / a landscape painter / a rugged landscape / an urban landscape 3 a fishing village / a mountain village / outlying villages / surrounding villages / a picturesque village / the global village / a coastal village / a remote village / a neighbouring village 32.7 Author’s answers: 1 Sports programmes bore me rigid. 2 I think I might consider life in a remote country village in Britain to be a rural idyll for a couple of weeks but then I would probably miss the facilities of a big town. 3 No, the public transport system where I live is not reliable at all. The buses are very infrequent and they often arrive late or not at all. 4 No, I can’t think of any derelict buildings where I live. Land with derelict buildings on it tends to be quickly redeveloped. 5 There are some small shops, a post box, a school and a doctor’s surgery.